Beyond These Walls
by LastWarden
Summary: Oneshot, from Garnet's perspective. The Princess reflects on her previous lack of freedom. Minor GxZ.


**TITLE:** Beyond These Walls

**DISCLAIMER: ** I, of course, do not own Final Fantasy or any of its characters or trademarks. Those belong to the folks at Square.

**STORY DETAILS:** One-shot, from Garnet's perspective. The Princess reflects on her previous lack of freedom. Minor GxZ.

**AUTHOR'S NOTE: ** Okay, I've just got to vent about something quickly in FF9 (I've had the game for a while, but never said anything about this particular problem I have with it). When Garnet is renaming herself at the beginning of the game, why the heck would she try to name herself something stupid like Dagger! I mean, I realize the blade was the first thing she saw after deciding to change her identity, but come on... Dagger?...psh. Needless to say, I allowed no Dagger-naming to go on in my game. Ha!

****

**Story:**

My whole life, I've felt like a rat. I've gone precisely where I was directed to go, I've followed the orders of my captors - Mother, even Steiner - as they maneuvered me through the maze of their creation. They never cared to ask me what _I_ wanted, what _I_ needed to be happy. Ever since my tutor began teaching me, and for long after he was terminated by Mother, I have longed to venture far out of the palace. Though a princess, I was never disillusioned enough to believe that most people lived like this. I recognized the fact that many outside these walls live in poverty and struggle just to survive, living moment-to-moment. But, on the occasional publicity parade or congenial public relations visit, I also saw happy families with romping children and smiling parents. They weren't dressed in fineries as I was, but I could tell that they were content with their lives.

What fascinated me more than the happiness these individuals seemed to possess was their seemingly limitless array of options of what to do with their lives. Even the simplest choices enthralled me: they could decide to go to the store whenever they wanted, with whomever they wanted, and buy whatever they wanted, provided they had sufficient funds. Moreover, these people could choose which stores they wished to deal with, whom to associate with, and even what they did for a living.

I, however, was on the other end of the spectrum. My destiny was predetermined from birth (or at least from the time I arrived at Alexandria Castle). I was to grow up sheltered within these walls, eating pre-prepared meals, performing bland duties - most of which involved unnecessary protocol and frivolous formalities - that I was not in the least happy to do, befriending those I was told to befriend, and, eventually, entering into an arranged, loveless marriage. Despite what most people thought, the mere fact that I was born into money did not afford me boundless freedom. On the contrary, all it did was saddle me with multiple responsibilities and make me extremely unhappy. Sure, like many girls would in my position, I liked the pretty dresses and fancy digs, but were those really an acceptable trade-off for my freedom? Was I really disposed to forego my free will and much possible love and friendship (I never did get along well with the hoity-toity "friends" Mother set me up with) for a big bed and some jewels?

I did a lot of thinking as I grew older, and by the time I turned 15, I was ready to leave that prison I called home. I wanted so badly to be liberated - to feel what it was like to shop where I wanted and talk to whomever I pleased. As silly as those desires may sound to someone who's grown up with them, trust me, they are not things to be taken for granted. People who have not experienced that independence, people who have only been able to observe it as if looking in from outside - these people would go to great lengths to obtain what we see when we look inside, and I was one of those people. I wanted to escape. I wanted to be myself. I wanted _freedom_. So when my mother announced that the well-known theater-ship _Tantalus_ would be coming to Alexandria to perform a play, I saw the perfect opportunity to put a long-thought-of plan into action.

That's when I met _him_. He was the embodiment of all the ideals I had long sought to obtain - freedom, independence, happiness, added to a strong sense of justice and a confident attitude. And a tail, but it's not as if that is the oddest animalistic appendage I've seen on the people. In fact, having an often unexplainable non-human part is quite common where I come from. But I digress, when Liberty Incarnate came, claiming to be part of a plot to abduct me - which translated into take me away from the castle - I could not have been happier.

The rest, well, that's history. Willingly, I surrendered to him then - when he tried, and succeeded, in kidnapping me - and I will surrender to him now, as he kneels before me, asking for my hand in marriage. They say marriage is unprecedented commitment; they call it getting "hitched." But I will not view it as such. After all, I am committing myself not to an overbearing boyfriend, but to by lifelong dream - Liberty.

A.N. - I realize that one or two facts may be out of line with the game, but this worked for me. Please do review - all manner of praise/criticism is welcome! I don't know that there is really any flame-able content, unless you just _really, really_ hated my writing style, in which case you are welcome to say so as long as you explain why. This will allow me to improve, but keep in mind it's been a long time since I last wrote a fan fiction or creative fiction of any sort.


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